Dubai Healthcare City specialists point to lesser-known risks of smoking on bones and oral health

Monday, May 26, 2014

Tobacco products now have mandatory graphic health warning images and a message that reads ‘Smoking causes lung cancer’. However lesser-known health risks are rarely in public consciousness.

• Bone mass is compromised in a smoker under the age of 30 – study
• Patient who smokes 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years is around 600% more likely to lose teeth from gum disease than a non-smoker – average from multiple studies
• Smoking counselling should be part of the dental curriculum 
• Infographic on Quitting: what you need to know’

Dubai, May 26, 2014: Tobacco products now have mandatory graphic health warning images and a message that reads ‘Smoking causes lung cancer’. However lesser-known health risks are rarely in public consciousness.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2014, observed annually on May 31, medical specialists at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) point out to uncommon health risks associated with smoking.

The risks of smoking on oral and bone health are not as widely known as risks of coronary heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer.

The Day, observed by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the health risks associated with tobacco use.

Specialists at DHCC, a health and wellness destination that brings together a wealth of services in healthcare, medical education and research, cite studies that demonstrate smoking as a risk factor for poor bone and oral health.

Smoking causes dental problems, ranging from bad breath, tooth discoloration and gum (periodontal) diseases. It also causes delayed healing process following tooth extraction, gum treatment or oral surgery, and reduces the success rate of dental implant procedures.

Dr Khalaf Moussa, German board certified Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dubai Bone and Joint Centre, at DHCC said, “Recent studies show a direct relationship between tobacco use and decreased bone density. Bone mass is compromised in a smoker under the age of 30, leading to a smaller skeleton and less bone mass compared to non-smokers in the same age bracket. In women, due to the normal process of aging and loss of oestrogen, normal bone loss takes place; in women smokers, bone loss is more rapid.”

Dr Moussa said that smokers are at an increased risk for osteoporosis. “Smoking is identified as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone fracture. Osteoporosis can trigger bone loss for many years without symptoms until a fracture occurs.”

Citing a study ‘Smoking and bone health’ by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, he said smokers have a 25 per cent increase in fracture risk and are nearly twice as likely to experience hip fractures. Smoking also delays bone healing following operations to repair fractures. However, stopping smoking has been shown to partially reverse the risk of suffering fractures, and smoking cessation is therefore advised in national guidelines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.”

Crawford Bain, Professor of Periodontics at Dubai School of Dental Medicine at DHCC, said according to an average from multiple studies, a patient who smokes 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years is around 600% more likely to lose teeth from gum disease than a non-smoker.

In a study titled ‘Tobacco Intervention: Tobacco and oral disease, co-authored by Prof Bain, and published in the British Dental Journal, smoking was associated with discoloration of teeth and dental restorations, halitosis (bad breath), periodontal disease, higher dental implant failure rates.

He said, “With both implants and gum problems it is thought that reduced circulation caused by smoking can lead to less dense bone and lower oxygen levels in the bone and soft tissues. This reduced oxygen environment is attractive to certain aggressive bacteria known to cause bone loss.”

Prof Bain believes that smoking counselling should be a fundamental part of the dental curriculum and any practice prevention programme.